1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to mobile communication devices and, more particularly, to pre-fetching information for use in and/or with mobile communication devices.
2. Information
As geographic barriers to personal travel decrease and society becomes more mobile, the need to access information regardless of place and/or time, as well as to stay connected while on the move becomes increasingly important. The use of the Internet, navigation or positioning systems, e-mail, telecommunications, electronically-enabled trade or e-commerce, etc., has become widespread, and mobile or wireless communication devices may already play a significant role in allowing society to maintain its mobility. Continued advancements in information and communication technology help to contribute to a rapidly growing market for mobile communication devices, which have become ubiquitous and may already be viewed as “extensions of the hand” altering the manner in which society communicates, does business, and/or creates value.
Mobile communication devices, such as, for example, cellular and satellite telephones, laptop computers, personal digital assistants, tablet personal computers, electronic book readers, or the like, are fast becoming one of the most prevalent technologies in the digital information age. Such mobile devices may enable users to request and/or access information, services, and/or functions anytime anyplace through one or more applications that may be hosted on computing platforms associated with these devices. For example, in addition to telephonic voice services, such applications may include web-based or browser-deployed applications (e.g., navigational, geo-processing or mapping, social networking, electronic communications, web searching, etc.), as well as applications that may reside locally on mobile communication devices (e.g., games, contacts organizers, appointment schedulers, photo editors, etc.).
Typically, although not necessarily, to launch such an application and/or to trigger a function, a user may need to browse or otherwise navigate through a selection menu, for example, by pressing on appropriate keys and/or buttons or, optionally or alternatively, by making a selection through icons, images, or other selectable visual indicators via a graphical user interface (e.g., via a touch screen, digital pen, etc.). Such a process may typically be accompanied by an undesirable delay between a user-initiated input or selection event (e.g., pressing on buttons to launch an application, retrieve information or data from a network, dial a particular number, navigate or scroll through a contact list, etc.) and performance of the selected or specified action associated with a particular application.
Moreover, with the increased number of applications hosted on computing platforms of mobile communication devices comes the increased complexity of contextual user-device interactions (e.g., navigating through menus or pressing buttons in the context of making a call, launching an application, selecting a contact from a contact list, etc.), which in turn may further increase lag times that may ordinarily exist in mobile settings or environments involving multifunctional communication devices. For example, a user may simultaneously engage in many routine activities (e.g., drive a car, walk a dog, cross a busy street, hold a cup of coffee or newspaper, communicate with a friend or colleague, use e-mail or text messaging, etc.) and may wish that user-device interactions be minimally demanding of user's input and/or attention. Accordingly, it may be desirable for a mobile device to sense, predict, or otherwise anticipate, for example, when and/or how a user will request and/or access information of interest so as to “shave seconds” or eliminate extra efforts or steps (e.g., scrolling through a contact list, manually dialing a number or accessing a web page, etc.) in such contextual user-device interactions. Accordingly, it may be advantageous to develop one or more methods, systems, and/or apparatuses that may implement intelligent, effective, and/or efficient sensing techniques to pre-fetch or obtain information (e.g., for use by pre-loaded and/or launched applications, triggered functions, etc.) to mobile communication devices quickly and/or with minimal attentional demands by users for better and/or more satisfying user experience.